Avoiding Portion Distortion

Sixty-five percent of Americans are overweight or obese. A contributing factor to this epidemic is the inability to eat appropriate portion sizes. The ability to "size up" appropriate portions of each exchange on the Food Guide Pyramid is an important part of maintaining a healthful and balanced diet. Try these everyday guidelines to get your portions back into proportion:

• 1/2 cup fruit, veggie, cooked cereal, pasta, or rice = a small fist
• 3 ounces cooked meat, poultry, or fish = a deck of cards
• 1 tortilla = a small (7 inch) plate
• 1/2 bagel = the width of a large coffee lid
• 1 muffin = a large egg
• 1 teaspoon of margarine or butter = a thumb tip
• 2 tablespoons of peanut butter = a golf ball
• 1 small baked potato = a computer mouse
• 1 pancake or waffle = a 4-inch CD
• 1 medium apple or orange = a baseball
• 4 small cookies (like vanilla wafers) = four casino chips
• 1 1/2 ounces of cheese = 6 dice

If you think that these portions are too skimpy, slow down your eating, and remember that it takes about 20 minutes for your brain to get the signal that your stomach has had enough. Bon appetit!